MCNAIRY
Chasing Jack
Magazine 2020
Stanton Littlejohn Project
Purdy Wedding
Magazine Editor Jessica Huff
Cover photo courtesy of: The Estate of Jack Boone, John Talbert, Exec. & Huffoto
MCEDCC is a vital link between Industry, Retail, and our community. We strive to create community pride, growth, and to help businesses maintain a viable workforce and customer base. Our members, through Chamber memberships, help to create a thriving community.
We are Peaceful, Progressive & Proud!
205 West Court Avenue
P.O. Box 7
Selmer, Tennessee 38375
Phone (731) 645-6360
Fax (731) 645-7663
CONTENTS
HEALTH &
SPORTS
OUTDOORS EDC & CHAMBER 2 1 2 3 4 6 5 Published by McNairy County Economic Development and Chamber of Commerce CEO Eddie
eddiec@mcnairy.com
ARTS & CULTURE EVENTS & ATTRACTIONS FOOD & ACCOMINDATIONS
EDUCATION
&
Crittendon
Chamber & Tourism Director Jessica Huff jessica@mcnairy.com
THE MCNAIRY COUNTY MILITARY PARK, LOCATED AT 225 OAK GROVE ROAD, SELMER, TN, WAS DEDICATED ON MAY 22,2020. THIS PROJECT WAS PLANNED BY THE MCNAIRY COUNTY LIBRARIES BOARD OF TRUSTEES, WITH UNANIMOUS APPROVAL TO BEGIN, AT THE BOARDS FEBRUARY 2020 MEETING. THE PARK IS TO HONOR AND REMEMBER VETERANS OF ALL WARS AND CONFLICTS.
THE AMERICAN FLAG AND THE POW/MIA FLY ON THE CENTER FLAGPOLE, WITH THE 6 SERVICE FLAGS FLOWN IN ORDER, A SHORT DISTANCE FROM THE AMERICAN FLAG
AMERICAN FLAG: THE AMERICAN FLAG IS A SYMBOL OF FREEDOM AND LIBERTY. IT STANDS FOR OUR NATION AND THE SHARED HISTORY, PRIDE, PRINCIPLES, AND COMMITMENT OF ITS PEOPLE. THE STRIPES REPRESENT THE ORIGINAL 13 COLONIES AND THE STARS REPRESENT THE 50 STATES OF THE UNION. RED SYMBOLIZES HARDINESS AND VALOR, WHITE SYMBOLIZES PURITY AND INNOCENCE, AND BLUE REPRESENTS VIGILANCE, PERSEVERANCE, AND JUSTICE
POW/MIA: THE POW/MIA WAS CREATED AS A SYMBOL OF OUR NATIONS CONCERN AND COMMITMENT TO RESOLVING, AS FULLY AS POSSIBLE, THE FATES OF AMERICANS, STILL PRISONERS OR MISSING AND UNACCOUNTED FOR IN SOUTHEAST ASIA.SERVICE FLAGS IN ORDER PRESENTED:
US ARMY: THE US ARMY FLAG WAS DEDICATED AND UNFURLED TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC JUNE 14TH, 1956 AT INDEPENDENCE HALL, PHILADELPHIA, ON THE 181st, ANNIVERSARY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE US ARMY BY THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS IN 1775.
US NAVY: THE US NAVY FLAG CONSISTS OF THE SEAL OF THE US DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY IN THE CENTER. THE FLAG WAS OFFICIALLY AUTHORIZED BY PRESIDENT DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER ON APRIL 24th, 1959 AND FORMALLY INTRODUCED TO THE PUBLIC ON APRIL 30th, 1959. IT REPLACED THE INFANTRY BATTALION FLAG WHICH HAD BEEN THE US NAVY’S UNOFFICIAL FLAG FOR MANY YEARS BEFOREHAND
US MARINE CORPS: VERY LITTLE INFORMATION IS KNOW ABOUT THE FLAGS CARRIED BY THE EARLY MARINES. THE OFFICIAL FLAG WAS ADOPTED ON JANUARY 18th, 1939, ALTHOUGH, THE MARINE CORPS ORDER HAD ESTABLISHED THE SCARLET AND GOLD COLORS AS EARLY AS 1925.
US AIR FORCE: THE US AIR FORCE FLAG WAS OFFICIALLY ADOPTED BY PRESIDENT HARRY S TRUMAN MARCH 26th, 1951 IT CONSISTS OF THE US AIR FORCE’S CREST AND SHIELD. THE 13 STARS REPRESENT THE 13 ORIGINAL COLONIES, THE 3 STAR GROUPING AT THE TOP PORTRAY THE 3 DEPARTMENTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, THE ARMY, THE NAVY, AND THE AIR FORCE.
US COAST GUARD: THE ORIGINS OF THE COAST GUARD FLAG ARE SOMEWHAT OBSCURE. IT MAY HAV EVOLVED FROM AN EARLY JACK. THE SERVICE ANCESTOR OF THE COAST GUARD WAS THE US REVENUE CUTTER SERVICE OF 1790 THE CURRENT FLAG WAS OFFICIALLY ADOPTED ON JANUARY 28th, 1964.
US SPACE FORCE: THIS FLAG IS USED TO REPRESENT THE UNITED STATES SPACE FORCE. IT WAS OFFICIALLY UNVEILED BY PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ON MAY 15th, 2020. THE US SPACE FORCE IS THE NEWEST SERVICE BRANCH OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.
THE MCNAIRY COUNTY MILITARY PARK
Unless otherwise stated, all area codes are 731.
ZIP CODES
Adamsville, 38310
Bethel Springs, 38315
Chewalla, 38393
Finger, 38334
Guys, 38339
Lawton, 38375
Michie, 38357
MIlledgeville, 38359
Ramer, 38367
Selmer, 38375
Stantonville, 38379
CLIMATE
Avg Annual Rainfall 55”
Avg Snowfall 3”
Avg Winter Temp 48° F
Avg Summer Temp 90° F
EMERGENCY
In case of emergency, dial
911
Fire Departments
Adamsville Volunteer Fire Dept.
632-1401
231 E. Main St., Adamsville
Bethel Springs Fire Dept.
934-7262
4068 Main St., Bethel Springs
Finger Volunteer Fire Dept.
934-4441
2296 Finger Leapwood Rd.,
Finger
McNairy County Fire Dept
645-5700
170 W. Court Ave., Selmer
Michie Volunteer Fire & Rescue
239-3500
5725 Hwy. 22 S., Michie
Ramer Volunteer Fire Dept
645-7564
16 Key Ln., Ramer
Selmer Fire Dept.
645-6173
707 Industrial Park Rd.,
Selmer
Milledgeville Fire Dept.
645-5700
202 Ellis Rd., Milledgeville
Law Enforcement
McNairy County Sheriff’s Office
645-1000
300 Industrial Park Dr., Selmer
Selmer Police Dept
645-7907
144 N. 2nd St., Selmer
Adamsville City Police Dept 632-3094
231 E. Main St., Adamsville
Bethel Springs Polive Dept. 934-7266
4066 Main St., Bethel Springs
GOVERNMENT
U.S. Senators
Lamar Alexander (202) 224-4944
455 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.
Marsha Blackburn (202) 224-3344
Dirksen Senate Office Building, SD-185, Washington, D.C.
U.S. Representative Mark Green (Dist.7) (202) 225-2811
509 Cannon Building, Washington, D.C.
State Senator
Dolores Gresham (Dist.26) (615) 741-2368
13 Legislative Plaza, Nashville
State Representative
Ron Gant (Dist.94)
(615) 741-6890
301 6th Ave. N., Suite 117, War Memorial Building, Nashville
Local Mayors
McNairy County
Larry Smith
645-3472
170 West Court Ave., Suite 201, Selmer
Adamsville
David Leckner
632- 1401
P.O. Box 301, Adamsville
Bethel Springs
Gary Bizzell, Jr.
934-7266
P.O. Box 214, Bethel
Springs
Eastview
Jessie Robbins
645-3428
199 Hwy. 57 West, Ramer
Finger
Robert Heathcock III
934-4677
P. O. Box 98 Finger, TN
Guys
Keith Rinehart
239-4700
PO Box 122, Guys
Michie
Anthony Smith
(662) 415-7054
P. O. Box 27 Michie, TN
Milledgeville
Dannie Kennedy
687-3811
P.O. Box 6, Milledgeville
Ramer
George Armstrong
645-7564
P.O. Box 38 Ramer
Selmer
John Smith
645-3141
144 N. Second St., Selmer
Stantonville
Larry Russel
645-7770
285 Michie Pebble Hill Rd, Stantonville
COURTHOUSE
McNairy County Courthouse
645-3511
170 W. Court Ave., Selmer
LIBRARIES
Irving Meek Jr. Public Library
632-3572
204 W. Main St., Adamsville
Jack McConnico
Memorial Library
645-5571
225 Oak Grove Rd., Selmer
DMV 926-1581
880 Pickwick St., Savannah
LICENSE PLATES & REGISTRATION
McNairy County Clerk
645-3511
530 Mulberry Ave., Selmer
UTILITIES
Electric Pickwick Electric Cooperative
645-3411
(800) 372-8258
672 Hwy. 142, Selmer
Gas
Adamsville Public Works
632-4214
203 Sunrise Drive, Adamsville
Selmer Utility Department
645-8243
500 Peachtree Ave., Selmer
Waste Management
Adamsville Public Works
632-4214
203 Sunrise Drive, Adamsville
Recycling Center 645-5909
Water & Sewage
Adamsville Public Works
632-4214
203 Sunrise Drive, Adamsville
Bethel Springs Water Dept. 934-7266
4066 Main St., Bethel Springs
Selmer Utility Dept.
645-8243
500 Peach St., Selmer
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Director of Schools, Greg Martin
530 Mulberry Ave Suite 2, Selmer
645-3267
SCHOOLS
Adamsville Elementary
439-4137
220 S Elm St., Adamsville
Bethel Springs Elementary School
934-7288
4733 Main St., Bethel Springs
Michie Elementary School 4394135
6418 Hwy 57 E, Michie
Ramer Elementary School
645-3996
4173 Hwy 57 E, Ramer
Selmer Elementary School
645-3131
533 Poplar Ave., Selmer
Selmer Middle School
645-7977
635 Poplar Ave., Selmer
Adamsville Jr./Sr. High School School
439-4122
815 W Main St., Adamsville
McNairy Central High School
645-3226
493 McNairy Central Rd., Selmer
UT-Martin McNairy County/Selmer
Center
646-1636
1269 Tennessee Ave. Selmer
McNairy County Adult Education
645-5386
701 Industrial Park Dr, Selmer
TN College of Applied Technology
632-3393
3070 US-64, Crump, TN
Coming Home to Win
Legendary Alabama football coach “Bear” Bryant once said ‘I heard mama calling’ when he left Texas A &M to return to his alma mater as football coach. Ramer girls’ basketball coach Erika Wright Donnell experienced something similar this fall when a lastminute coaching hire at her alma mater got her into coaching. Donnell had a job working at the Corinth Head Start when Ramer principal Dr. Sondra Kiser called to ask if she would like to coach the Lady Eagles. She got the call on Sept. 29 and the season was beginning the first of October. It took three days of praying, lots of talks with her husband Mario, and a glance at how she could work two jobs during the day. A school in the Corinth School District had tried to convince her earlier in the school year to take a coaching position and she declined the offer. It was a different story when it was Ramer School calling Erika back home to coach where she played junior high basketball. “I took the job and only knew two players (Brooklyn Hopkins and Bailee Shelton) when she got to meet the team for the first time,” said Wright. It was Hopkins that helped tag her with the Coach E name and it stuck the rest of the season. Donnell said it took two regular season games for her to feel comfortable as a coach. She had so little preparation time to begin the season that everything was coming at her in a whirlwind. While she mentioned that she never got nervous while playing basketball, Coach E said it was nerve racking to be the head coach of a young team. Ramer had lost all their starters from last season and it was a total rebuilding job in her debut season for Coach Donnell. The new coach realized quickly that she was going to need to be a mentor to the players off the court as well as teach them about basketball. “There are a lot of mood swings with young girls and I could tell when I came into the gym if something was wrong,” commented Donnell. Coach E spied a problem the week of the Selmer game in the McNairy County Tournament. She had one group of players on one end and another group of players on the opposite end of the court. The coach brought them together and told them she wanted them to create a Tik Tok video on their own. It was not long before she saw all the players together laughing and having a good time with each other. This video turned into something special when they blended it with them after they won the county championship. Donnell is almost unbeatable in the county tournament. She was 4-1 as a player with two county championships and now is 2-0 as a coach with one county championship. Her success this year as a coach has her ready to begin a new season to defend the county title after a summer of hard work. She admits now about thinking of possibly coaching on the high school level. A personal achievement that meant a great deal to Coach was she became the first African-American to coach the girls’ team at Ramer. “It will be something I was to explain to my girls when they get older and someday to my grandchildren,” remarked Donnell.Coach E was very proud to say her parents, Donna Wright and Paul Wright, did not miss a game this season. Mr. Wright said during the county tournament championship game that he never got as nervous when his daughter was playing instead of coaching. After Donnell graduated from Ramer in 2003, she played for four years at McNairy Central and her team won district and region titles in 2007. Donnell missed most of the season with a torn ACL and still managed to be in the school’s 1,000-Point Club.Donnell played two years of college basketball at Northeast and finished her career as a player at Rust College. She is married to Mario Donnell and they have two daughters, Avery and Ava. Avery is named after Erika’s family that has seen many star basketball players wear the purple and gold. The one thing that blew Coach E away off the court was the love she received from the community. “I was getting hugs and congratulations from people that I did not even know. They would message me and tell me how they were supporting and rooting for our team which made me very happy.”
Story Submitted by: Jeff York
Adamsville Parks & Recreation
Football, Cheerleading, Basketball and Soccer. Applications for Dixie Youth T-ball, Softball and Baseball are available through City Hall, and games are played on the fields in the Buford Pusser Memorial Park..
731-926-5675
Chewalla Basketball league Basketball and Cheer.
731-239-9802
Ramer Community Sports
Baseball, Softball, Basketball, and Soccer. Registration will be advertised in the local papers on the following schedule: baseball and softball in late February and basketball in November. 731-610-6063
Selmer Parks & Recreation
Football, Basketball, Cheer, Softball, Baseball, Soccer, and special needs athletics. Games are played at Selmer City Park, Patriot Park, and the Selmer Community Center.
731-645-3866
Community Sports School Sports
Adamsville Jr./Sr. High School
Football, Basketball, Soccer, Baseball, Cheer, Golf, Softball, Track & Field, Tennis
McNairy Central High School
Football, Basketball, Soccear, Baseball, Cheer, Golf, Softball, Volleyball, Tennis, Track & Field
Bethel Springs Jr. High School
Football, Basketball, Cheer, Softball
Michie Jr. High School
Football, Basketball, Cheer, Softball
Ramer Jr. High School
Football, Basketball, Cheer, Softball
Selmer Middle School
Football, Basketball, Cheer, Softball
CHIROPRACTORS
Robin Barnes
112 S Magnolia St., Adamsville 632-9100
Shawn Pitts
134 Warren Ave, Selmer 731-645-3850
COUNSELING
McNairy County Ministerial Association
133 North 3rd St., Selmer 731-645-5316
Quinco Mental Health Center
641 East Poplar Ave., Selmer 731-645-5753
10710 Old HWY 64, Bolivar 1-800-532-6339
1410 Pickwick St., Savannah 731-925-5054
DENTISTS
Ron Bell, 718 Federal Dr., Selmer 731-645-3291
David Bradley 349 East Main St., Adamsville 731-632-1680
Randall Deaton 518 East Main St., Adamsville 731-632-3371
Ronnie Fullwood 177 West Court Ave., Selmer 731-645-7785
James Hoover 518 East Main St., Adamsville 731-632-3371
Greg Wilson 710 Federal Dr., Selmer 731-645-7506
ELDERLY CARE
Adamsville Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center 409 Park Ave., Adamsville 731-632-3301
Lynnfield Place 150 High School Rd., Selmer 731-646-0064
AHC McNairy County Senior Living/Rehabilitation
835 E. Poplar Ave., Selmer 731-645-3201
PHARMACIES
Adamsville Family Pharmacy 726 East Main St., Adamsville 731-632-1730
Deberry Drugs 834 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-6100
Joyner RX 185 West Court Ave., Selmer 731-434-0180
Lott Family Pharmacy 835 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 645-5556
Michie Pharmacy 5823 HWY 22 South, Michie 731-239-2100
Mid-Town Pharmacy 270 E Court Ave, Selmer 731-645-7008
Todd’s Discount Drugs 347 East Main St., Adamsville 731-632-0995
Walmart Selmer 1017 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-9758
Walgreens409 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-4423
HOME HEALTH Deaconess Homecare 912 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-8088
690 Pickwick St., Savannah 731-925-6626
Regional Home Care, Selmer 1040 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-646-2610
Volunteer Health Care 317 Poplar Ave., Selmer 731-645-3970
HOSPICE Mercy Hospice 137 Cypress Ave., Selmer 731-646-1213
HEALTH DEPARTMENT
McNairy County Health Department
725 East Poplar Ave. P.O. Box 429, Selmer 731-645-3474
731-645-3475
Services: Child Health, Tennder Care, Immunizations, Family Planning,
Sexually Transmitted Disease Control, Tuberculosis, Nutrition, Women’s Infants and Children (WIC), Children’s Special Services (CSS), Primary Care Clinics, Basic Prenatal Care, HUGS (Help Us Grow Successfully), Vital Records, Health Education, Food and General Sanitation, Motor Vehicle Registration
MASSAGE THERAPY
Tracey Howell, LMT 134 Warren Ave., Selmer 645-0618
OPTOMETRISTS
James H. Smith, O.D. 138 Houston Ave., Selmer 731-645-7255
Andrea Mitchell, O.D. 270 E Court Ave A, Selmer 731-645-7932
Joseph Driscoll, O.D. 135 S Y Square, Selmer 731-645-5236
John D. Dodd, O.D. 236 N Maple St, Adamsville 731-632-5000
PHYSICIANS/NURSE PRACTITIONERS
Juan T. Aristorenas 135 West Main St, Adamsville 731-632-3373
Devender D. Reddy 305 East Main, P.O. Box 503, Adamsville 731-632-901
The Clinic M.S. Bakeer 714 Federal Dr., Selmer 731-645-7952
Fast Pace Urgent Care 1021 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-646-1781
505 East Main St., Henderson 731-435-1488
1805 Wayne Rd., Savannah 731-926-4222
1359 West Market St., Bolivar 731-361-1003
1400 HWY 72 East, Corinth MS 662-664-5537
Lifespan Health 765 Florence Rd., Savan-
nah 731-925-2300
150 East End Dr., Savannah 731-925-2300
255 Wayne Rd., Savannah 731-925-8016
105 Davis St., Savannah 731-925-8879
726 East Main St., Adamsville 731-632-5433
181 South Y Square, Selmer 731-645-6245
Michie Healthcare Associates 5823 HWY 225, Michie 731-239-9470
Michie Medical Clinic, Inc. 6659 Michie Pebble Hill Rd. P.O. Box 297, Michie 731-632-1783; Fax 731632-1786
Premier Internal Medicine & Pediatrics 714 Federal Dr., Selmer 540-9083
WTHC PrimeCare, Adamsville 345 HWY 64, Adamsville 731-632-3383
WTHC PrimeCare, Selmer 1 Primecare Dr., Selmer 731-645-7932
Ramer Family Health Clinic 3856 HWY 57 West, Ramer 731-645-6118
Trinity Medical Clinic 181 South Y Square, Selmer 731-434-0200
Providers: Rhonda Hunt
YOGA THERAPY Simchah Huizar Breath of Life Yoga & Therapy Selmer 731-610-5517
Outdoor Adventures
1. Counnry Critters Campground and RV Park Located at 1331 Elm Rd, Adamsville, Country Critters Campground & RV Park is a privately owned campground complete with RV hook-ups. Call 434-8989 for more information.
2. Duncan Christmas Tree Farm Families come from all over for a sip of hot chocolate or cider while hay riding through the fields at Duncan’s looking for their perfect Christmas tree. Duncan’s Christmas Tree Farm is a 35-acre farm located at 186 Hester Road in Selmer. The farm grows Leland Cypress, Virginia Pine, Carolina Sapphire and Blue Ice. Pre-cut Fraser Firs are shipped in the week of Thanksgiving. The gift shop boasts handmade, fresh wreaths and garland, bows, ornaments, and a variety of Christmas decorations.
3. K&M Precision Rifle Training Located in Finger, K&M Precision Rifle Training is a state of the art complex for long range rifle and handgun training. The range hosts multiple shooting competitions. Its largest is the Bushnell Tactical Gap Grind Pro/Am Competition attracting shooters from around the world.
4. Since 2017 the Annual Big Hill Trail Run has been a huge success. Big Hill Trail Run is now a 5k on pavement. We have also added the Sheriff’s Challenge race that runs alongside the circumference of the breath-taking Travis McNatt Lake at Big Hill Pond State Park. The sixmile course requires self- sufficiency. It includes varying terrain with forest trails, areas of mud, and rock. McNairy County Tourism hosts the event and makes contributions back to the park. We look forward to this event each year and remember only the best make it up the hill.
5. Rockabilly Park, located in Historic Downtown Selmer, is the site of famed Rockabilly Mural II and the Selmer Farmer’s Market. The park consists of green space, a small stage which hosts outdoor music events, seating, and various displays of sculpture artwork. It’s maintained by Selmer Parks & Recreation.
6. Shiloh Corn Maze Located at the Chateau at Shiloh, 11200 HWY 142, Shiloh, Tennessee, the 4-acre corn maze is a highlight for families every fall. The maze is open throughout the month of October weather permitting. Other attractions include a mega slide, zip line, corn crib, petting zoo, hayrides, old fashioned village and other family
2 3 4 5 6
1
Big Hill Pond’s 50/25K will have something for everyone. It will be run on October 20th 2018. The race will have 31 or 15.5 miles made up almost entirely of single track trail with only a little crushed gravel park road to help string out the competition. The race will feature a fire tower that you will have to climb, and a swamp boardwalk that is almost a half mile across. The history of the area comes from the local sheriff Buford Pusser, who is known for his virtual one-man war on moonshining, prostitution, gambling, and other vices along the Mississippi–Tennessee state line. The race will offer enough scenery and elevation for the most grizzled trail runner but should be doable for the first timer.
CITY PARKS
Buford Pusser Memorial Park, Adamsville
Ted Hughes, Director of Adamsville Parks & Recreation, 731-926-5675
The park consists of a lighted basketball court, lighted tennis courts, playground, with a variety of equipment for kids to enjoy, 4 ball fields, open air pavilion, picnic tables, 4 grills, shade trees and a walking track.
Bethel Springs City Park
Located behind City Hall and the Community Center. The park has a walking trail around a green space and picnic tables.
Eastview City Park
Located on Highway 57 behind The Junction Truck Stop. The park consists of a walking trail, outdoor seating, and baseball, softball and soccer fields.
Michie City Park
Located on Highway 57 next to Michie Elementary School. The park consists of baseball fields and a basketball court.
Ramer City Park
Located on Highway 57 across from Ramer Elementary School. The park consists of a walking trail, outdoor seating, and green space.
Selmer City Park
Sybil Dancer, Director of Selmer Parks & Recreation, 731-645-3866
Located at the intersection of Highways 64 and 45 in Selmer. The park consists of a walking trail, basketball courts, tennis courts, soccer field, baseball and softball fields, playground, outdoor stage, two open pavilions, outdoor workout equipment, and a city swimming pool.
LOCAL SWIMMING
Easthills Aquatic Club
Sibley Dr, Selmer
610-6073
A members-only club featuring a large outdoor swimming pool, kiddie pool, and bath house.
Selmer City Pool
Located at Selmer City Park
645-3866
Open to the public. Features a large outdoor swimming pool, kiddie pool, and bath house.
Selmer Country Club
1254 Country Club Ln, Selmer 645-9915
A members-only club.
GOLF COURSES
Shiloh Golf Course
2915 Caney Branch Rd, Adamsville 731-632-0678
A semi-private club featuring an 18-hole regulation length golf course.
Selmer Country Club
1254 Country Club Ln, Selmer 731-645-9915
A members-only club featuring an 9-hole regulation length golf course, outdoor swimming pool, and restaurant.
Dixie Park is located at 230 E Court Ave. in Selmer, site of the historic Dixie Cafe. The park consists of a splash pad, green space, and an ADA compliant bath house. It’s maintained by Selmer Parks & Recreation. Coming soon the all new Dixie Dog Park!
Freedom Fest
Every Independence Day Selmer Parks & Recreation hosts Freedom Fest at the Selmer City Park. The Festival includes live music throughout the day from local rock bands to AiM’s Community Band. It also includes vendors and other attractions and culminates in a fireworks display at sunset.
RESTAURANTS
American
Ada’s Country Store & Cafe 9653 HWY 45, Bethel Springs 731-934-9310
The Alley Sports Bar and Grill
275 Mulberry Ave. Selmer 731-434-0420
JR’s Steakhouse
6708 HWY 45 S, Eastview 731-645-0138
Hillbilly’s Wing Shack 26280 HWY 69, Adamsville 731-632-2222
Kokomo’s 50s Diner 740 US-64, Adamsville 731-632-1958
Ole Monterey Cafe 6017 TN-22, Michie 731-239-5863
Ramer Station Restuarant 4000 TN-57, Ramer 731-645-7772
Rockabilly Cafe 103 S Front St, Selmer 731-645-6070
Grill 57
4500 Highway 57 W Ramer
Saw Meal Restaurant & Steakhouse 731 E Main St, Adamsville 731-632-5111
T&T Grocery
3171 US-64, SELMER 731-645-9922
Asian
China King 117 W Court Ave, Selmer 731-645-9188
Barbeque
Pappy John’s Original Barbeque 3597 US-45, Selmer 731-645-4353
The River Barbeque Company 723 E Main St, Adamsville 731-632-4647
Smokey Joe’s BBQ 304 E Poplar Ave, Selmer 731-645-5188
Coffee The Bean Scene 130 E. Main St., Adamsville 632-0852
Dessert Dannuhcakes Sweet Shop 134 E. Main St., Adamsville dannuhcakes@gmail.com
U.S. Doughnuts 467 Mulberry Ave, Selmer 731-982-7023
Fast Food
Burger King 645 Mulberry Ave, Selmer 731-646-1710
Hardee’s
619 Mulberry Ave, Selmer 731-645-5342
Jack’s 431 E Main St, Adamsville 731-632-1620
McDonald’s 621 Mulberry Ave, Selmer 731-645-4488
Sonic Drive-In 589 Mulberry Ave, Selmer 731-645-5200
325 E Main St, Adamsville 731-632-0788
Subway 152 S Y Square, Selmer 731-645-6060
1017 Mulberry Ave, Selmer 731-646-3740
Subway 721 East Main St. Adamsville 731-632-0800
Love’s Subway 6870 US-45 Ramer
731-6455163
Italian Mama Fia’s Cafe
375 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-434-0228
Mexican Atzimba Mexican Restuarant 469 Mulberry Ave, Selmer 731-646-1772
El Palomino Mexican Restaruant
780 Mulberry Ave #1, Selmer
731-646-0040
Los Aztecas Mexican Restaurant 588 Mulberry Ave, Selmer 731-434-0301
Panchito’s Mexican Restaurant
112 E Main St, Adamsville 731-632-0915
Pizza
Domino’s Pizza 226 E Court Ave, Selmer 731-645-9907
Hometown Pizza 593 Mulberry Ave, Selmer 731-645-4748
HomeTown Pizza 718 East Main St. Adamsville 731-315-1016
Pizza Hut 1029 Mulberry Ave, Selmer 731-645-3200
Seafood
Top O’ the River 5831 TN-57, Michie 731-632-3287
156 S 2nd St, Selmer
Hope’s Place 121 N. Maple, Adamsville 731*632-1617
Pat’s Cafe 110 E Court Ave, Selmer 731-645-6671
Wink’s Cafe 155-199 S 2nd St, Selmer
ACCOMMODATIONS
Crazy K Cabin Rentals 833 N Prather Rd, Michie 731-452-5262
Deerfield Inn 414 E Main St, Adamsville 731-632-2100
Heart Pine Hall 1765 Guys Chewalla Rd., Guys 731-610-7625
Old Home Motel 211 E Main St, Adamsville 731-632-3398
Shiloh Chennault Bed & Breakfast 2525 Houston Cemetery Rd., Ramer 360-525-4207
Smith Cottage 31 Scove Ln, Stantonville 731-610-8680
Southwood Inn 631 Mulberry Ave, Selmer 731-645-4801
www.southwoodinn.com
Star Plus Inn & Suites 644 Mulberry, Selmer 645-8880
www.starplusinn.com
Slugburgers
Snack Shack
Chasing Jack:
A North McNairy County Literary Legacy
t was the mid-to-late 1930’s and a time when communities and family clans were tightly interwoven, strangers weren’t welcome and old ways died hard or not at all. In north McNairy County, on the fringes of the wellknown Hurst Nation, a stranger was roaming around. He was making notes, thinking and writing about as well as chronicling the customs, peculiarities and speech patterns of an isolated and often suspicious people. That man was Jack Happel Boone. The people were the folks of the Hurst Nation and its confines: portions of Chester, McNairy and Hardeman counties. Boone was an academic and writer. A native of Gibson County, Tennessee, he was raised and educated in Chester County, just to the north of McNairy County. He grew up in the shadow of the mysteries and stories of the Nation. He’d heard of bootleggers and moonshiners, eccentrics and backwoodsmen and a dark Civil War heritage of the Nation’s most famous patriarch, Colonel Fielding Hurst.
As a young man, Boone had the opportunity to soak up an environment that was tailor-made for the pen of a budding novelist. He curiously rambled around the backroads and paths of the Nation territory and other portions of West Tennessee. He frequented roadhouses, joints, local gatherings, the homes of interesting characters and learned the vices and virtues of the people in these deepest recesses of West Tennessee. He learned the ways of a people often viewed as simple but who were far more complex than met the naked eye. He learned of cultural aspects and phenomena that were often confined to rural outposts like the Nation. It was during this time that he was also acquiring an education at Memphis State College and Vanderbilt University. Still he gained an entirely different type of education in the hills of the Hurst Nation and the fringes roundabout.
four to forty-eight hours.
The novel tells the story of several very dubious characters, the Reverend Winnie Lazenby, Squire Heber Kiler, Birdie Kiler and Luke Tolby, among many others. There were also characters that are quite sympathetic including Dossie Bell herself. The novel, though often forgotten over the years, has stood as a historical record, a literary snapshot of the habits, language, practices and ways of a people as they were in the Hurst Nation and surrounding areas in the 1930’s. Perhaps the story isn’t always flattering but it is the writer’s interpretation of what he witnessed during his rambles as a young man that gives us important cultural clues to our area at that time.
Indeed, the novel is an interesting historical document as well as a literary work. Dossie Bell Is Dead was published by a major New York City publisher, Frederick A. Stokes Company, who also published works by Louis Bromfield, Stephen Crane, Sinclair Lewis, Ellery Queen and Damon Runyon. It was reviewed very favorably by the New York Times and other major newspapers of the day. Boone documented attitudes and customs found in West Tennessee and especially north McNairy County and Chester County. The novel was not particularly well-received in the region in which it was set. However, it received critical acclaim and Boone did receive wide-spread attention for his efforts.
Then after the publication of the novel, it seemed Boone’s writing career and the portrayal of local culture and the story of Boone’s Tolby Nation was already past and not to yield further works. No further stories appeared and there were no further novels despite the once promising career and despite Boone’s contract with Frederick A. Stokes Company to write two more novels. Jack Boone was also an aca -
Boone began to build a strong understanding and knowledge of concepts unknown to people in large towns and cities. He learned about such events as the traditional “sitting up” often called a “setting up” over the dead. Boone became fascinated with the practice and procedure of rural women who specialized in the preparation of corpses as well as the practice of mourners sitting up with the corpse through the night before the funeral. He absorbed knowledge from local moonshiners and bootleggers. He learned of the importance of the whisky still and the type of men who employed their talents in making bootleg whisky for sale as a way to feed their families. The budding novelist developed an appreciation for the elderly women of the region whom he viewed as the best reporters of news imagined and he gained a knowledge of interesting characters and peculiar stories. Boone’s lexicon was enlarged as he picked up the local vernacular, phrases and words that seemed largely confined to the Nation itself.
Throughout the 1930’s, Boone penned a number of short stories set in the area of the Nation and north McNairy County, among other places. In 1939, he published a novel set in the fictionalized version of the Hurst Nation, one he called the Tolby Nation. The novel, Dossie Bell Is Dead, told the story of an unmarried woman, Dossie Bell Holder, who lived with a rough backwoodsman, a half-Cherokee named Luster Holder. Although Dossie Bell shared Luster’s last name as well as his bed, the two were unwed. Many people in the Tolby Nation viewed Luster as a cold-eyed, cold-blooded killer. In fact, he seems to be given little credit in the novel for intelligence or decency but is given much credit for natural instinct. The novel opened with Luster discovering Dossie Bell dead in their cabin. The novel then goes on to tell the riveting story of several characters in blunt detail over a period of twenty-
demic who taught at various universities and colleges, including Vanderbilt, Clemson, Mississippi State, Presbyterian College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Interestingly, Boone lived another 27 years after the publication of Dossie Bell Is Dead. His academic career largely ended after 1949-1950, still leaving another 16 to 17 years in his life and leaving a looming question mark for all.
Many have wondered for decades what Boone was doing during those years. I wondered personally. For some 25 years, I chased the specter of Jack Boone. He was elusive. He was mysterious. Most of all, he was frustratingly silent. His being dead didn’t assist me and neither did his lack of discernible colleagues and contemporaries after my first discovery of the man and his works or those which were known in 1994. I spent the next 25 years in search of those missing years. In all honesty, I had little luck. I pulled together scraps of information and had the good fortune to come into possession of a complete and original novel manuscript written by Boone in or around 1950. Unfortunately, that unpublished work had nothing to do with this region.
Then in 2019, the decision was made to publish an 80th anniversary edition of Dossie Bell Is Dead. That decision accompanied my appointment as the Administrator of the Estate of Jack Boone. I was determined to finally explore the true extent of the man’s literary legacy and its ties to north McNairy County and Chester County, among other places. In fact, 2019 would prove to be a watershed year for both chasing and truly discovering the life and career of Jack Boone. I learned that Boone had been under contract to write a sequel to Dossie Bell Is Dead but no trace of its existence seemed to be found. However, in August 2019, I visited Freed-Hardeman University, my undergraduate alma mater, which lies only a block from my law
I
office. I had heard it rumored that the university’s library might hold a partial novel manuscript or a short story and so my expectations were low. What I found surprised me and left me feeling as if I had finally gotten closer to my goal of discovering Jack Boone. When I walked into the archives, I found eleven boxes of Boone’s papers including complete novels, short stories, correspondence and innumerable papers and notes. 25 years of searching, the answer had lain only a block away from me all of these years. Strangely enough, no one really seemed to know much about them but even that story slowly came into view and that story alone is worthy of an article all its own. In any event, after delving into this treasure trove of forgotten works and documents, I kept coming across pieces of a story. The notes, passages and fragments belonged to a story entitled Woods Girl. In my collection of original Boone papers (yes, I possess a large collection of Boone papers and manuscripts as well), I had found vague references and notes concerning a story entitled Woods Girl.
I slowly searched my collection and that of the university and pulled together myriad pieces of documentation, handwritten notes, typewritten and handwritten full manuscript pages, passages typed on the back of other manuscripts and bits and pieces of this story and piled them up in a large file containing some five hundred pages. After more than 400 hours of intensive labor and concentration, the long-awaited sequel to Dossie Bell Is Dead emerged from the dim and murky mist of Jack Boone’s past. As each chapter emerged from the fog, the story played out.
Now you may ask, what did emerge? I shall tell you. A story of intrigue, murder, hatred, revenge and redemption whose setting was largely in north McNairy County. Boone set the story in the Tolby Nation and some of its landmarks, Refuge Church, Sobby Church and Graveyard, the Firbank Settlement, and other local landmarks. He did the same in Dossie Bell Is Dead, mentioning Pilgrim Beauty, also called Pegram Beauty, Harmony, Sobby, Refuge and Sweetlips. All of these communities are either just over the border in Chester County or lie in McNairy County. In the case of both novels, many events occur in and around Refuge and Sobby. Both are real places. The Refuge community in McNairy County is centered around the Refuge Church of Christ and the Refuge Cemetery. In Boone’s novels, the Refuge Church is a holiness church. Sobby Church House was a historically black church but is the Nazarene congregation in the Nation in Boone’s writings. Indeed, Boone employed literary license to play with the scenery. He inserted the Forked Deer River into the Nation as a substitute for the tributaries of the Hatchie River. Boone’s fictionalized settlement of Firbank was most likely based on either Woodville or Masseyville, both located in the vicinity of the Chester-McNairy County line. All of the areas Boone used as settings in Chester County had once been a part of McNairy County. In Woods Girl, the long-lost sequel to his first novel, Boone tells the continuing story of the characters he first introduced to the world in Dossie Bell Is Dead. However, in this lost novel, he explores the characteristics of the people
and habits of the Nation and tells the story of conflicts of several characters, all of which are flawed, some more full of vice than others and some possessing more virtues than for which they will receive credit.
The stories told and set in north McNairy County and Chester County in Dossie Bell Is Dead, published in 1939, 1951 and 2019, and Woods Girl, to be published in 2020, are not the end of the larger story. Jack Boone spent part of his years from 1939 until approximately 1954 writing both novels and short stories centered around the Hurst Nation. Ultimately, Boone penned some six novels and more twenty short stories about the Nation and areas set in or around north McNairy County, Chester County and eastern Hardeman County. Each of them added another prism of perspective to the times and circumstances of the region during a particularly difficult time, the period of the Great Depression. Each tells a compelling story about gritty, realistic characters, many of whom are actually based upon real individuals. Each adds to the literary history of the region, a history little known to exist until recently.
Boone tells of many characters. He created bootleggers, a trio of gossipy old women who were masters of the art of laying out bodies and cooking for the traditional sitting up over a corpse, women of loose moral fiber, murderous backwoodsmen, children matured far beyond their years and wily, treacherous folks looking for gain. He also tells of decent and virtuous men and women who seek to do right and seem to seek a higher path. He describes the pine hills of the Nation and the paths from backwoods cabins to the Firbank settlement. His descriptions are, at times, very vivid.
He employs phrases, lingo and vernacular that have long passed into history themselves. The language and the phraseology of Boone’s works is archaic in some cases. It is also quite frank and sometimes crude for the times. When reading Woods Girl itself, one must remember this work had its genesis in 1939. Given the time in which it was written, it would have been considered quite scandalous. The novel contained elements considered taboo in those days and times, perhaps even today.
All in all, Boone’s short stories fleshed out further characters and storylines, all plausible during the time in which they were written. It is clear from studying his writings that Boone was basically seeking to create a fictionalized version of our region, much like Faulkner did for north Mississippi. All of this begs a question. Why did it all fail to materialize for Boone and for this region? The answer is probably complex. Still there are some hints. It was a matter of the combination of personal habits, the literary market after the Second World War, social changes and a number of other factors including possibly Boone’s personal stability. In any event, Boone’s works were not in favor after the war as they had been in the 1930’s.
Regardless, we are extremely fortunate that his works survived in any form or any place. Yet, they do survive and they now provide a record, a literary record of a place no one else thought interesting enough to document. Yet it was interesting, full of characters and full of incidents that made for engaging short stories and novels. As this wealth of literary information continues to be mined and developed, it may be that a portion of McNairy County may find itself immortalized in literature. As these works were written between 1939 and 1954, their emergence is long overdue.
Perhaps now, as they are slowly edited and published, these works will shine a light on our history and culture, our past and its correlation to our present. With proper evaluation and attention, they may provide the region with a wealth of attention that only a proud and fascinating heritage can yield.
It is appropriate to close with a quote from each of these first two works, Dossie Bell Is Dead and Woods Girl:
“The cats had scented death. On the soft cushions of their feet they stalked the cabin.
“The rain burst from the blackish sky in flooding furry; the hotand-cold August wind lifted dust and leaves and sticks to mix and mingle with the continuous downpour.
“The cats stalked the house.
“From the big-room their fine detecting noses felt out the corpse. On the tail of each flurry of wind came the scent of the stiffening body.
“The clock, its face now dim except when the sky split open in a moment of silvered fire, said eleven. Each flash cut out the dimmest features of the room: the four-poster bed; Dossie Bell’s white drawn face; gripping claws set fiercely, scraped desperately. At the door to the big-room came the grating of more claws, the mournful whines which ended in the same agonizing wails.”
- Dossie Bell Is Dead
“There had been over four years of peace in the Nation, dreary, monotonous peace, which was enough to make a body long for the clammy feel of Death’s cold hands. Then just as it seemed that Murdie Blackburn would have to go on to her grave without ever again experiencing the thrill of laying out another murdered corpse, fortune smiled on the cantankerous old soul. Only last year Tank Greeber, with his wife, six sons, one daughter and little Negro boy, had come to West Tennessee from Missouri and bought the Luke Tolby place on the edge of the Nation. Squire Heber Kiler, a brother-in-law of Luke Tolby’s, had sold Tank the old three-hundred acre farm, although it really belonged to Birdie through her mother, she being Luke’s sister. And after the Greebers got settled, Tank surprised Nationites by announcing that he was a first cousin of Luke Tolby and the last male descendent of the original Tolby clan. Yes, sir, Tank had big plans. He was going to run Luster Holder right out of the Nation and reclaim the thousand acres which John Holder had stolen…something Luke had had better sense than to even try.”
- Woods GirI
Indeed, the times and the adventures live on up in the Nation with the writings of Jack Boone. Yes, Dossie Bell may be dead but Jack’s legacy isn’t yet and neither is the literary legacy of McNairy County and surrounding areas.
Story Submited by John Talbott
Stanton Littlejohn Project
Around 1947 Stanton Littlejohn began making recordings in his Eastview, Tennessee home. He had no way of knowing that we would still be talking about it almost 75 years later.
Home recording was in its infancy in 1947, but Littlejohn was ahead of the game. He maintained a lifelong fascination with emerging technologies—especially those related to music and music reproduction—and he was a talented multi-instrumentalist well known to other musicians in the region. Those attributes insured success with Littlejohn’s new recording enterprise, but the good fortune of the timing guaranteed his work would have a lasting impact.
McNairy County was a hotbed of music-making in the postwar years. Local masters who had come of age in the first half of the 20th Century were in their prime and a new crop of emerging musicians were beginning to shake things up.
Legendary old-time musicians such as Elvis Black, Waldo Davis, and Con Crotts entertained thousands on regional radio broadcasts, fiddle contests and community jams, as well as local house parties that were known as “frolics” or “musicals.” Younger country and bluegrass artists like Kay Bain, Ernest Whitten, and Arnold English were also on the rise in the late 1940s and early 1950s. All of these, and dozens of other pickers and vocalists, made spectacular recordings at Eastview in the front parlor of Littlejohn’s modest home.
As talented as these men and women were, only one artist who visited Littlejohn was destined for international stardom. Carl Perkins made what is believed to be the first recording of his illustrious career with Littlejohn in 1951. He was only 19 years old at the time and he elected
CARL PERKINS PLAYS A HARDWARE STORE OPENING WITH FRIENDS CIRCA 1950. L TO R: RAMSEY
KEARNEY (HARDEMAN COUNTY), CARL PERKINS, JAY PERKINS, BENNY COLEY
(MCNAIRY COUNTY), LINDSEY PATTERSON (MCNAIRY COUNTY). PHOTO COURTESY THE JIM BAILEY. COLLECTION, JACKSON SUN.
to record an Eddy Arnold tune, “There’s Been a Change in Me,” backed by the country band Charlie Cox and the Southern Playboys. A second session soon followed—perhaps in 1952 or 1953—but this time, Perkins demonstrated the style that made him a household name.
In his second trip to Eastview, Perkins recorded the R&B classics “Good Rockin’ Tonight” and “Drinking Wine Spodee-o-dee.” Those two sides offer the clearest and earliest documentation that the young Perkins was among the first white artists to merge country and R&B into what would later be known as rockabilly music. The session occurred long before Elvis Presley released his first Sun Records singles. By sheer coincidence, Presley’s second Sun release was “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” the same tune Perkins had recorded 2-3 years earlier with Littlejohn. In other words, what happened in Memphis happened in McNairy County first.
Perkins would, of course, go on to become one of the founding fathers of rock ’n’ roll with the release of his rockabilly anthem “Blue Suede Shoes” in early 1956. But the Littlejohn sessions offer irrefutable evidence that he was no Presley copycat. The style of music that won him fame and made him one of the most influential figures in rock history was as natural to him as breathing.
In October 2019 Littlejohn’s historic recordings of Perkins were made publicly available for the first time. The Bear Family Records release, Discovering Carl Perkins, was issued first in Europe and subsequently in the US. The preservation and release of the recordings are the product of over 10 years research and documentation by Arts in McNairy’s traditional arts committee. Committee chair, Shawn Pitts, acted as coproducer on the Bear Family project which includes a 10 inch vinyl LP, CD and 16 page booklet with exhaustive liner notes. A limited supply is available locally through Arts in McNairy’s online store (www.artsinmcnairy.com) or at major online retailers such as Amazon, Target and Best Buy.
STORY BY SHAWN PITTS
McNairy County’s music heritage is unparalleled. Arts in McNairy’s annual Music Hall of Fame and Music Trail of Legends, pay honor to the men and women who have shaped our music history at the local, regional and national level. Whether it’s internationally recognizable names like Dewey Phillips and Carl Perkins, local old-time masters such as Elvis Black and Waldo Davis, or living legends like Kay Bain and Wayne Jerrolds, the Hall of Fame and Trail of Music Legends brings the stories of our musical heritage alive and preserves them for the next generation. Learn more at: http://trailofmusiclegends.com or http://artsinmcnairy.com
Arts in McNairy (AiM) is a live theater, an art gallery, a publishing house, a community history/heritage center, and more! Arts in McNairy fosters an atmosphere where all the arts and artists across disciplines can learn and thrive. AiM was founded in 2001 on the principle that participation in the arts is a cornerstone for the development of a healthy community. Over the years, AiM has demonstrated this principle through arts programs, concerts, performances, festivals, workshops, exhibits and an in-depth exploration of McNairy County’s rich cultural heritage. The organization has been recognized at the local, state, and national levels for excellence in rural arts development and planning. Simply stated, AiM aspire to connect local creatives to the larger community where their gifts may be shared and appreciated.
Arts in McNairy | 205 W Court Ave, Selmer, TN PO Box 66, Selmer, TN 38375 731-645-2671 | artsinmcnairy@gmail.com
HOCKADAY HANDMADE BROOMS
Hockaday family brooms began in the early 1900s by Will Hockaday as simply a means to make a living through the winter. Now, over 100 years later, the Hockaday brooms is now an art form and tradition carried on by Will Hockaday’s great-grandson, Jack Martin, on the original equipment designed and built some 100 years ago. Hockaday Handmade Brooms is located at 2076 Hwy 142 in Selmer. For more information or for shop hours, call Jack at 645-4823 or visit hhbrooms.com.
THE PURDY WEDDING DRESS
The Purdy Wedding dress, from the McNairy County Museum, is now on display at The Oaklands Mansion Museum in Murfreesboro, TN. This dress was worn by Mary Dillahunty when she married John R. Adams in Purdy Tennessee on April 28th 1873. The wedding was officiated by Dr. Estell and was held at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church there. The Adams family continued their life in McNairy County, prospering and becoming a vital part of the county.
Great-great grand-sons of Mary and John, Josh Earhart of Smyrna, Georgia and Keith Smith of Washington, D.C., gifted the wedding dress to the McNairy County Museum 3 years ago. Granddaughter of John and Mary, Amelia Adams McCord is pictured in the dress in 1973, 100 years after her grandmother wore it. The exhibit at the Oaklands Museum is called “Wedding Dresses Through the Decades” and is open from January 17th through March 1st. Monday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4 PM and Sunday from 1:00 PM to 4 PM. This exhibit chronicles the change in fashion from different areas, eras and cultures up to our present-day bridal wear. Also, this year there will be an exhibit of wedding ring quilts on loan from members of the community.
Mary Beth Nevils, Curator at the Oaklands Museum, thanks the McNairy County Museum for sharing this piece of history with their Museum. This is the oldest dress in their collection this year!
Editor’s New Since my last we have had a rain and a wedding. The ground is wet, vegetation is on the rise, and two more souls are happy. Mr.John R. Adams, Miss Mary Dillahunty were married at the C.P. Church, in this place, last Monday evening. The nuptial ceremony was performed by Rev. Dr. Estell. He is short and eloquent in his style. The church was crowded to its utmost capacity. We were highly delighted to meet our young and esteemed friend, Lewis Dillahunty, Esq., of Corinth. He came up to witness the marriage of his sister, and returned the next morning. We regret that he could not remain much longer, for Lewis is a capital fellow, and lacks no part that goes to make up of a true gentleman. Come again “Bud”
After the marriage, and the customary congratulations, Dr. Estell announced that if these were any other present, “who wanted to be done likewise, let them come forward or forever hold their peace.” There being no response to the Doctor’s hint, the congregation dispersed. some went home, but the majority repaired to the residence of Mr. J.M. Harris, which is also the home of the groom. Here there seemed to be an abundance of room and pleasure for everybody. There were the old and the young, the married, and single, the big and little, the gay and festive, and high revelry was soon in chief command of the joyous throng. Dancing was commenced, and as it ever does on occasions of pleasure, soon proved to be the attraction of the evening.
Supper
At 10 o’clock a most excellent repast was served, and the appearance of things about the dining room showed that ample justice had been done to every dish, and we feel that many thanks is due from us to Mrs.Adams, the groom’s mother, and Mrs. Harris for a complete satisfaction of our taste and apetite (sic.) Though we owe some of our good luck in getting a full supply to the shrewdness and sagacity of the little boys. We saw they were getting in good places to get two and then, we were soon supplied with enough for our own use, and some to take home to the children, you know.
Eleven o’clock was at hand, and we made a brief visit to the main parlor, paid our respects to the bride, whom we found injoying herself most splendidly, and looking as lovely as a “poet’s dream”. Her bridal costume was modest, but very tastefully arranged. Her dress and good sense. Her head-dress consisted of a beautiful wreath, her veil was made of silk tulle, which hung to the floor as she stood erect, We then took our companion on our arm, and went away with a light heart.
The bridal party went out to Mr. W.F. Cherry’s today for dinner. They report that they had a fine dinner and got swamped a dozen times. May 1,1873 NixVerbatum copy of clipping in old scrapbook in possession of Mayor D.T. Hamilton of Selmer. Scrapbook was made of “The Congressional Globe” of Feb. and Mar. 1869. This scrapbook was complied by Job E. Hamilton who lived in Adamsville,TN and who was the grandfather of D.T. Hamilton.
ABB 400 S 4th St., Selmer 731-645-6121
Action Realty 102 W Court Ave. A Building, Selmer 731-645-7101
Adamsville Healthcare & Rehab PO Box 325, Adamsville 731-632-3301
Adamsville Industrial Development Board 231 East Main St., Adamsville 731-632-4214
Advantage Insurance 171 S Third St., Selmer 731-645-8917
AHC McNairy County Senior Living / Rehabilitation 835 E Poplar Ave., Selmer 731-645-3201
All City 263 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-8900
Alley Avenue Salon 696 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-610-2772
American Johnny PO Box 42, Michie 731-239-9660
American Legion Post 162 PO Box 712, Selmer 731-645-3830
American Legion Auxiliary Unit 162 PO Box 712, Selmer 731-608-1103
AT&T 916 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-4029
B & B Propane 5756 Hwy 22 S, Michie 731-239-3900
BancorpSouth 515 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-7915
Beauty Bar, Michelle ONeal 586 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-610-4350
Bethel Springs Rosenwald 92 Wisdom Rd., Bethel Springs 731-934-9568
Better Source Supply 1093 N Maple St., Adamsville 731-632-9122
Blue Star Heating and Air Conditioning 402 Meadow Ln., Selmer 731-608-7780
Bodiford-White Insurance 584 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-6151
Breath of Life Yoga and Therapy 999 Lola Whitten Rd., Suite 3 Selmer 731-610-5517
Butcher Boy Machines 640 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-434-1012
C&B Linen 607 South Main St., Waynesboro 931-722-6193
Crazy K Ranch 833 N Prather Rd., Michie 731-610-6109
Crump Electric 1082 Lakefield Rd., Selmer 731-610-0189
Cybertech 122 East Main St.,Adamsville 731-632-3550
D’s Diner 380 Main St., Hornsby 731-212-7082
CarQuest Auto Parts 40 Hwy 142, Selmer 731-645-9876
Cato Fashions 1023 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-3634
CB&S Bank 731 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-646-1351
Centennial Bank 119 East Main St.,Adamsville 731-632-3326
Central Bank of Adamsville 436 E Main St., Adamsville 731-632-0462
Chambers Insurance 160 S Second St., Selmer 731-645-3551
Chip A Roo’s 144 Bethesda-Purdy Rd., Selmer 731-645-5437
City of Ramer 16 Key Ln., Ramer 731-645-7564
CLF Photography Studio 104 East Main St., Adamsville 731-733-4608
Connector Castings 671 Industrial Park Dr., Selmer 731-645-9400
Cook Coggin Engineers 110 N Third St., Selmer 731-982-7020
Corinth Coca-Cola Bottling 601 Washington St., Corinth, MS 662-287-1433
Dannuhcakes Sweet Shop 134 East Main St., Adamsville 731-607-8986
Danny Roberts Heating & Air Warren Ave., Selmer 731-645-6487
Darren Bowers, FIC Modern Woodmen of America 109 North 3rd St., Selmer 731-645-5557
DaVita Dialysis 771 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-1031
DeBerry Drugs 834 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-6100
Deusner & Kennedy 177 W Court Ave., Selmer 731-645-6177
Dig Time 4254 Main St., Bethel Springs 731-577-0091
Dickey Metals 300 N Third St., Selmer 731-645-4940
Do All Custom Machining & Tooling Co. 421 TN Ave., Selmer 731-645-4908
Dodd Eye Clinic 609 N Filmore, Corinth, MS 662-286-5671
Dolphin Waterslides Inc. 334 E Main St., Adamsville 731-632-1407
Dusty’s Outdoor Media 688 Wilshire Dr., Jackson 731-267-3121
East Main Pharmacy
712 E Main St., Adamsville 731-632-3278
Edward Jones
830 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-6199
El Palomino Mexican Restaurant 780 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-646-0040
Express Employment 196 Carriage House Dr., Jackson, TN 731-660-0061
Farmers Insurance 117 South Second St., Selmer 731-434-3333
Fast Pace Medical Clinic 1021 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-646-1781
First Class Storage PO Box 799., Selmer 731-646-1800
First United Methodist Church 1122 W Cherry Ave., Selmer 731-645-5267
Flowers Repair Shop 211 Sunrise Dr., Adamsville 731-632-0492
Fullwood Dental Clinic, LLC 485 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-7785
Gen of Eve Clerical Services 505 Ashe Ln., Selmer 731-315-9813
Godfrey Insurance 327 East Poplar Ave., Selmer 731-645-5202
Grace Allen Formals and Mae Lane Salon 144 Houston Ave., Selmer 731-645-4808
Hagy’s Catfish Hotel Restaurant
1140 Hagy Ln., Shiloh, TN 731-689-3327
Hamilton Ryker
1901 East South Harper Rd., Corinth 662-286-6247
Hawk and Co. Flowers 119 South 2nd St., Selmer 731-645-8870
Henry Furniture 533 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-3282
Hillbilly Wing Shack 26280 TN 69., Adamsville 731-632-2222
Hollingsworth Locksmith 44 McMahan Rd., Ramer 731-645-6793
Home Banking Company 795 E Poplar Ave., Selmer 731-645-6166
Huffoto 110 N 2nd St., Selmer 662-284-6517
Independent Appeal 111 N. Second St., Selmer 731-645-5346
Inman Brother’s Service Center and Wrecker Service 694 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-5193
Jackson State Community College 2046 North Parkway., Jackson 731-424-3520
J.Lipford’s Salon and Gifts 135 East Main St.,Adamsville 731-632-5547
Jones Exhaust 442 Arendall St., Adamsville 731-632-0652
Joose Vapors 861 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-212-2236
Joyner RX 185 West Court Ave.,Selmer 731-434-0180
Kelly Services 1081 Vann Dr. Suite 101, Jackson, TN 731-668-1002
Lakeview Church 877 West Cherry Ave., Selmer 731-645-9777
Lamar Advertising Company 2389 Dr. F. E. Wright Dr., Jackson, TN 731-427-0426
Lashlee-Rich Inc. 1100 West Main St., Humbolt 731-784-2461
MAS Components 2282 Airport Rd., Selmer 731-645-5755
Larry Raines Realty 504 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-7770
Lawson Welding 92 Three Star Dr., Selmer 731-645-7776
Legacy Hospice 137 Cypress Ave., Selmer 731-646-1213
Liberty National Bradley P. Gray 529 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 662-287-2415
Lifeline Blood Services 183 Sterling Farm Dr., Jackson. TN 731-427-4431
Lifespan Health 765 Florence Rd., Savannah 731-925-2300
Life Wind Covenant Church 63 Linsey Ln., Selmer 731-614-2715
Los Aztecas Mexican Restaurant 588 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-434-0301
Lott Family Pharmacy 835 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-5556
Lynnfield Place 150 High School Rd., Selmer 731-646-0064
Magnolia Regional Health Center
611 Alcorn Dr., Corinth, MS 662-293-1000
Main Street’s Small World 141 W Court Ave., Selmer 731-453-5177
Mama Fia’s Cafe 375 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-434-0228
Mammy’s Soap Company Bethel Springs 501-520-7870
Man Power 157 South Y Square, Selmer 731-645-8884
Mary Lou Foundation PO BOX 153, Selmer 731-610-1881
McDonalds 621 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-4488
McNairy Central High School 493 High School Rd., Selmer 731-645-3226
McNairy County Adult Education 701 Industrial Park Dr.,Selmer 731-645-5386
McNairy Co Board of Education
530 Mulberry Ave. Suite 2, Selmer 731-645-3267
McNairy County Carl Perkins Center 574 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-6463627
McNairy Co Developmental Services
565 Industrial Park Rd., Selmer 731-645-7730
McNairy County Early Literacy Foundation
225 Oak Grove Rd., Selmer 731-645-5571
McNairy County Exchange Club Selmer 731-610-3866
McNairy Co Farm Bureau Insurance 555 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-3232
McNairy County Friends of the Library
225 Oakgrove Rd., Selmer 731-632-0637
McNairy County Government 530 Mulberry Ave. 731-645-3241
McNairy County Historical Society 114 N 3rd St., Selmer 731-434-9668
McNairy County Imagination Library PO Box 391, Selmer 731-645-5575
McNairy County Libraries 225 Oakgrove Rd., Selmer 731-645-5571
McNairy Literacy Council 701 Industrial Park Dr., Selmer 731-645-5355
McNairy County News 252 Mulberry Avenue, Selmer 731-645-7048
McNairy County Senior Cener Inc.,RSVP 408 Park Ave., Adamsville 731-632-0302
McNairy County Soil Conservation 512 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-5466
Mercy Hospice 137 Cypress Ave., Selmer 731-646-1213
Mid South Family Farms 15135 HWY 19 W., Ripley 731-635-1903
Mid South Farmers Co-op 335 TN Ave., Selmer 731-645-5156
Mid South Garage Doors 861 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-7740
Midtown Pharmacy, Suite C 270 E Court Ave., Selmer 731-645-7008
Mind Gamez 110 N Second St., Selmer 662-284-6517
Mitchell Eye Center, Dr. Andrea Mitchell 699 E Poplar Ave., Selmer 731-434-3401
Monogram Refrigeration LLC 789 Peach St., Selmer 731-645-7955
Nan’s Flowers and Crafts Inc. 350 Eat Main St., Adamsville 731-632-3423
NAPA Auto Parts 624 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-5304
NCS Fulfillment Center 149 N Railroad St., Selmer 731-645-4496
Nichole Park Photography 731-453-4986
nicholeparkphotography.com
North End Wine & Spirits 425 Peach St., Selmer 731-434-3040
Office Pro
515 Childs St., Corinth, MS 662-287-4474
Owl Creek Lumber 700 Industrial Park Rd., Selmer 731-645-6437
Paul Fisher Oil Company 365 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-3616
Personnel Placements, LLC 569 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-300-2466
Phillips 66 Spectrum Corp 500 Industrial Park, Selmer 731-645-4972
Pickwick Electric Cooperative 672 Hwy 142, Selmer 731-645-3411
Pink Logistics 325 Industrial Rd., Adamsville 731-646-1446
Prestige Physcial Therapy 514 South Main St., Waynesboro 931-722-2778
Quality Iron and Steel LLC. 333 TN Ave., Selmer 901-472-9395
Quinco Mental Health Center 641 Poplar Ave., Selmer 731-645-5753
Ramer Family Health Care 3856 TN-57, Ramer 731-645-6118
Ramer Station 4000 TN_57, Ramer 731-645-7772
RAYCO
2199 Highway 72 E, Corinth, MS 662-287-8829
Regions Bank 116 S 3rd St., Selmer 731-453-8700
River City Concrete
850 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-7903
Rockabilly Cafe
103 South Front St., Selmer 731-645-6070
Rosewood Place Apartments
200 Redbud St., Selmer 731-645-7910
Sallon Elite
103 South Magnolia St., Adamsville 731-532-2650
Sassy Frass Boutique 109 North Second St., Selmer 662-610-1220
Selmer Chiropractic Dr. Shawn Pitts 134 Warren Ave., Selmer 731-645-3850
Selmer Collision Repair 356 Industrial Dr., Selmer 731-645-6888
Selmer Finance Co
192 Houston Ave., Selmer 731-645-5361
Selmer Flower Shop 177 SOuth 3rd. St., Selmer 731-645-6451
Selmer Golf & Country Club 1254 Country Club Ln., Selmer 731-645-9915
Selmer/McNairy County Industrial Development Board 205 W Court Ave., Selmer 731-645-0075
Selmer Middle School 635 E Poplar Ave., Selmer 731-645-7977
Selmer Quick Stop 430 Peach St., Selmer 731-645-1022
Selmer Smiles, Dr. Ron Bell 718 Federal Dr., Selmer 731-645-3291
Selmer Tobacco Beverage 837 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-434-3044
Servpro of McNairy 542 N Church Ave., Henderson 731-983-0883
Shackelford Funeral Directors 160 Cypress Ave., Selmer 731-645-3481
Shelter Insurance 132 N 3rd St., Selmer 731-645-7954
She Shed Fitness 132 W Court Ave., Selmer 731-610-6373
Silicon Ranch 222 2nd Ave South, Suite 1900 Nashville, TN 37201
Simpson & Simpson Law 108 N 3rd St., Selmer 731-645-3366
Skyline Eye Clinic Dr. James Smith 138 Houston Ave., Selmer 731-645-7255
SMC Recycling 117 Texaco Dr., Selmer 731-645-6302
Smith & Lambert Certified Public Accountants 105 Second Street North, Selmer 731-645-7621
Smokey Joe’s BBQ 302 E Poplar Ave., Selmer 731-645-5188
Sneak-A-Peek Boutique 114 W Main St., Adamsville 731-925-0452
Sonic of Adamsville 325 Main St., Adamsville 731-632-0788
Sonic of Selmer 589 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-5200
Southern Reality 188 Houston Ave., Selmer 731-645-8878
SP Designs 108 Jones St., Selmer 731-434-0144
Speedy Lube
815 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-646-3550
St Jude The Apostle Catholic Church
1318 E Poplar Ave., Selmer 731-645-4188
Star Physical Therapy 1021 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-4501
State Farm, Kenneth Hawkins 567 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-3468
State Farm, Milton Nash 1040 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-7777
Steve Sweat Body Shop 2144 Highway 64 E., Selmer 731-645-7034
Stockdales Selmer 581 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-3238
Straight Shooter Softwash
106 Grace Thomas Rd., Michie 731-645-0161
Subway
152 S Y Square, Selmer 731-645-6060
Tennessee Coil Spring & Stamping 180 Church Ln., Selmer 731-645-7545
TN College of Appiled Technology 3070 US-64, Crump, TN 731-989-0095
Terrific Tans 102B W Court Ave., Selmer 731-439-3362
Terry Abernathy Attorney 115 S 2nd St R., Selmer 731-645-6163
Terry Wood Law Office 236 North Maple St., Adamsville 731-632-4266
The Alley Sports Bar and Grill 275 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-434-0420
The Bank of McNairy 610 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-646-1171
The Bean Scene 130 Main St., Adamsville 731-632-0852
The Chateau at Shiloh 11200 HWY 142, Shiloh 731-434-4473
The Hemp Connection 110 South Y Shopping Center, Selmer 731-607-3431
The King’s Jewels 2380 Dunaway Rd., Selmer 731-697-9149
The Loft on Court - Lower Level 156 W Court Ave., Selmer 731-645-3112
The Shack Salon & Gift Shoppe 207 Jones St., Selmer 731-645-3359
The Venue at J. Lipford’s Alley 135 E Main St., Adamsville 731-412-2535
Top O the River 5831 TN-57, Michie 731-632-3287
Town of Bethel Springs MAyor Gary Bizzelle Jr. 4066 Main St., Bethel Springs 731-934-7266
Town of Selmer Mayor John Smith 144 N 2nd St., Selmer 731-645-3241
Town of Stantonville Mayor Larry Russell PO Box 59, Stantonville 731-645-7770
Trinity Medical Clinic LLC 832 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-434-0200
Tru Savers Hardware 172 Houston Ave., Selmer 731-645-5562
US Donuts 467 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-982-7023
United Country Farm & Home Realty 811 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-4344
United Stainless 95 Lakeview Dr., Selmer 731-645-8467
United Way of West Tennessee PO Box 2086, Jackson, TN 731-422-1816
Uptown Design 116 South Y Square, Selmer 731-607-5010
Uptown Salon 586 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-2014
UT Extension 703 Industrial Park Rd., Selmer 731-645-3598
UTM McNairy County/Selmer Campus 1269 TN Ave., Selmer 731-646-1636
UT Martin, West Star 554 university St., Martin 731-881-7000
Wal-Mart 1017 Muleberry Ave., Selmer 731-645-7938
We Made It Inc. 330 S Maple St., Adamsville 615-379-7323
WTH / Primecare, Suite B 270 E Court Ave., Selmer 731-645-7932
Wilbanks Plumbing and Electrical Inc. 405 Colce Rd., Ramer 901-299-3611
Wilson Family Dentistry 710 Federal Dr., Selmer 731-645-7506
Without Borders Nutrition 124 West Court Ave., Selmer 731-439-1379
WRAP 512 Rowland Ave., Jackson 731-668-0411
Yachad, LLC
205 Henco Dr., Selmer 731-645-8324
Personal Memberships
Billy Joe and Martha Glover
Kirk and Linda Hamlin
Linda Hamm
Suzanne Henson
Tom Neal Hamilton
McNairy County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
2019-2020
BENEFITS WITH YOUR INVESTMENT
1. Free Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, publicity in both county newspape rs, coverage on Chamber’s newsletter and Facebook page.
2. The Chamber distributes an annual McNairy Magazine that includes a membership listing.
3. A Chamber member’s services are spotlighted each week in the Mo nday Morning Mail newsletter.
4. The Chamber honors one Chamber Business of the Month and Industry of the Month, each month.
5. Advertising opportunities available in county maps, Chamber magazine, and website.
6. The Chamber partners with organizations that aid in the expansion and growth of local business such as the TN Small Business Association. Meetings are available through the Chamber monthly with, Small Business Specialist, Joel Newman of Jackson, TN.
7. Opportunity to serve on Board of Directors or committee(s) of your choice. Allowing direct impact upon the future of your community while promoting your business.
8. Being housed in the McNairy County Visitor’s Center allows the Chamber to furnish newcomers and tourists with packets and brochures regarding members, and local attractions.
9. Networking opportunities are provided on a regular basis through the Chamber, with events like Chamber Coffee.
10. Small business meetings available monthly with #ShopMcNairy campaign in place to aid small business and encourage the community to shop local.
11. The Chamber acts as a liaison between the business community and local, state, and federal government. When needed the Chamber will address matters that affect the local economy and business.
12. When needed the chamber will adress matters that affect the lccal economy.
13. Job Fairs are available through the Chamber to connect businesses with potential employees.
14. Recommendations and referrals are made to your business, when applicable. The Chamber plays an active role in community by supporting festivals, events, and county programs.
15. the chamber plays an active role in the community by supporting festivals events and county programs.
Selmer
industrial Park
At Tennessee Avenue, Selmer on TN HWY 45 // 75 acres // Industrial Zoning
For more information visit: https://mcnairycountyecd. com/site/selmer-mcnairy-county-industrial-park/
ABB 400 S 4th St., Selmer 731-645-6121
Adamsville/McNairy County Industrial Development Board 203 Sunrise Dr., Adamsville 731-632-4214
Butcher Boy 640 Mulberry Ave., Selmer 731-434-1012
Connector Castings 671 Industrial Park Dr., Selmer 731-645-9400
DBH Attachments 158 Sunrise Dr., Adamsville 731-632-0532
Dickey Metals 300 N Third St., Selmer 731-645-4940
Do All Custom Machining & Tooling 421 TN Ave., Selmer 731-645-4908
Tennessee Certified site
At Copeland Drive on TN HWY 22 // 44.45 acres // M-2 Heavy Industrial Zoning
For more information visit: https://tnecd.com/certifiedsite/adamsville-mcnairy-north-industrialpark/
Solar Farms
Knight’s Saw Mill 211 Falcon St., Selmer 731-645-7441
Langley Wire Cloth Components 218 Enterprise Dr., Adamsville 800-664-0748
Lawson Welding 92 Three Star Dr., Selmer 731-645-7776
Magnum Press, Inc. Adamsville 855-498-7077
MAS Components 2282 Airport Rd., Selmer 731-645-5755
Monogram Refrigeration 789 Peach St., Selmer 731-645-7955
Moore’s Sawmill 8674 Leapwood Enville Rd., Adamsville 731-632-3009
Owl Creek Lumber 700 Industrial Park Rd., Selmer 731-645-6437
Phillips 66 Spectrum Corp 500 Industrial Park, Selmer 731-645-4972
Pickwick Electric Cooperative 672 Hwy 142., Selmer 731-645-3411
Precision Assembly 465 Industrial Park Dr., Selmer 731-646-1818
Price Saw Mill 3881 Highway 64 W., Bethel Springs 731-645-6635
Ripley Industries PO Box 245, Adamsville 731-577-4795
Selmer/McNairy County Industrial Development Board 205 W Court Ave., Selmer 731-645-0075
SMC Recycling 117 Texaco Dr., Selmer 731-645-6302
Sparks Custom Fabrication 445 Farber Dr., Adamsville 731-632-1218
Tennessee Coil Springs & Stamps
180 Church St., Selmer 731-645-7545
United Stainless 95 Lakeview Dr., Selmer 731-645-8467
Whitco Steel Fabricators 202 Enterprise Dr., Adamsville 731-632-1177
Yachad, LLC 205 Henco Dr., Selmer 731-645-8324
Adamsville industrial Park
McNairy County boasts two 20-megawatt solar farms located on Highway 142 and off Highway 45 operated by Tennessee Valley Authority and Pickwick Electric.
